A.K. Is Back: His Long Awaited Return Falls Flat…But Did You Really Expect It Not To?

A 15-year-old student of mine asked me earlier this week, before the long-awaited return to golf of the do-it-his-own way, belt buckle-wear’in, kid steal’in, diamond wear’in, Loyd’s of London insured, Anthony Ha-Jin Kim, who he actually was.

I thought, Hmmm, who is Anthony Kim? And then I just chose to say, “He was a former PGA TOUR star who disappeared after having surgery during the height of his career.” My student seemed content with that answer, but there was so, so much more to tell about AK…much more.

Who Was A.K. The Golfer?

To many golf fans, Kim’s PGA TOUR debut in 2006, by way of a sponsor’s exemption into the Valero Texas Open and subsequent tie for second, was a sign of a potential new American golf star. Something many fans were desperately seeking.

Before turning professional in 2006, Kim attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played on the Sooners Men’s Golf Team. In 2004, Kim was named an NCAA All-American and Freshman of The Year. In his sophomore year, Kim won the individual title at the Big 12 Championships while leading his team to a second-place finish. During his time at Oklahoma, he set the school record for lowest career scoring average in relation to par.

The kid had the game for sure. There was no denying that fact.

The A.K. File

• Born: June 19, 1985
• Place of Birth: L.A.
• Residence: Dallas
• College: University of Oklahoma
• Turned Pro: 2006
• Professional Wins: 4
  • 2008 (2) – Wachovia Championship, AT&T National
  • 2009 (1) – Kiwi Challenge
  • 2010 (1) – Shell Houston Open
• Highest World Ranking: 6 – September 28, 2008
• Best Finishes In Majors:
  • Masters Tournament – 3rd (2010)
  • PGA Championship – T50 (2007)
  • US Open – T16 (2009)
  • Open Championship – T5 (2011)
• Team Competition:
  • 2005 Walker Cup Winning Team
  • 2008 Ryder Cup Winning Team
  • 2009 President’s Cup Winning Team

One outing I clearly remember like it was yesterday was a televised Nike Golf clinic A.K. did alongside Tiger Woods in October of 2008. TW talked about one aspect of Kim’s game that he thought was unique and quite effective…

“He’s the only player I’ve ever seen that actually plays pretty much the entire bag choked up…It does provide a lot of control; you don’t hit the ball as far offline. You hit the ball very straight that way.” ~ Tiger Woods, October 2008

The Shocking End of A.K.’s PGA TOUR Career and The Lore Of The Insurance Policy 

In 2012, Anthony Kim withdrew from the Wells Fargo Championship after just one round. He was struggling with injuries and performing poorly. But no one knew that would be his last round on the PGA Tour, not even Kim. Shortly after his withdrawal, Kim disappeared from golf. Fans and fellow professionals were left wondering if they would see him compete in golf again.

What Did Happen?

As it turns out, a month after his withdrawal, Kim tore his Achilles while jogging on the beach, which led to surgery. However, Kim had the foresight to take out a disability insurance policy worth several million dollars earlier in his career. The policy covered his medical and living expenses. It also provided him with income during his rehabilitation.

Kim’s disability insurance policy was reportedly worth millions. It allowed him to focus on recovery without worrying about money. The policy covered his medical expenses, as well as his living expenses, and provided him with a source of income during his rehabilitation.

Many have speculated why A.K. never attempted a comeback. Some think it was due to his lucrative insurance policy. Others think his confidence was gone. Some even suggest he never felt comfortable on the PGA Tour. However, this is all just speculation. Kim never spoke publicly on the matter, and he has long steered away from social media.

LIV Golf Comes A Knock’in

With the emergence of LIV, it was safe to speculate that, at some point, this day would come. The return of Anthony Kim would be a conversation that golf pundits and fans would start to have once again. After all, the idea of A.K. being back on a golf course in competition was as exciting as finally having proof of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Moster existing.

Check out more on AlmostAverageGolf.com: Greg Norman comes clean on Anthony Kim’s case: “Whatever happens today doesn’t really matter”

The Sloppy Return

This week the golf world indeed saw the mythical Anthony Kim return to professional golf. And, well, to sum things up, it was kind of a mess.

Let’s be honest, as I said on the weekly podcast that I co-host, The Quiet Please Golf Podcast, “He will be lucky to sniff 75.”

With his 76-76-74 total of 226 (+16) and a DFL finish, Kim was 33 behind winner Joaquin Niemann and 11 behind the second-to-last place finisher, Hudson Swafford.

Here’s my take, folks. It is nice to see Anthony Kim back playing professional golf. I am not going to say that it is not. I understand entirely that this move to LIV allows him to tee it up professionally once again, as they reportedly covered his insurance policy and then some. He will make a payday at each event, no matter how he finishes. These facts I get.

I just feel bad for A.K. I mean, after a decade-plus of not playing professionally or in public at all, it was going to be a tall task for him to do well this week.

No matter how well he may have been hitting the ball in practice or even in practice rounds, 12 years away and then jumping back into the professional arena (if you count LIV as “The arena”) was going to be a recipe for a pretty crappy debut…and that is indeed what happened.

I am not at all going to say that Kim can not come back to being a halfway decent professional golfer once again; however, this new LIV project with him is going to take a considerable amount of time to see any semblance of even a shadow of the A.K. we once knew…

With that said, I hope, for Kim’s sake, they will not eventually dump him when they no longer find him useful for a quick pop.

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